There's nothing that puts the finishing touch on a holiday spread like a vibrant-hued cranberry sauce, and once you've made it from scratch I bet that you'll never buy it again. First, combine fresh cranberries, sugar, orange zest, whole cloves and water in a saucepan and cool until the berries have mostly broken down and the liquid has thickened. While the mixture is still hot, force it through a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids with a spatula. Be sure to scrape the mixture from the bottom of the strainer. Whisk it well and then transfer it to a bowl or mold.

Cover and refrigerated it until it's firm. You can make the sauce up to a week ahead of time.

To unmold the sauce, invert it onto a small serving plate and shake it side to side until the sauce slips onto the plate.